Experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis in chickens: I. Influence of source of antigen, dose and adjuvant

Autoimmune glomerulonephritis was induced in chickens by immunization with human, bovine, turkey or chicken glomeruli in CFA. The influence of dose and of the pertussis vaccine was evaluated in two other separate experiments. The highest incidence of glomerulonephritis was observed in chickens immunized with human glomeruli, followed in descending order by bovine, chicken and turkey glomeruli. Capsular adhesions were seen in the last three groups. Epithelial crescents were seen only in the group immunized with chicken glomeruli. Interstitial lymphocytic infiltration was seen in 54% and 71% of chickens immunized with bovine and chicken glomeruli, respectively. The severity of the disease increased with time and the number of immunizations. IgG deposits on the GBM were seen in 92% (22/24), 54% (13/24), 50% (12/24) and 33% (8/24) of animals immunized with human, bovine, turkey and chicken glomeruli, respectively. Severity of disease was directly related to the amount of glomeruli injected. However, IgG deposits showed an inverse correlation with antigen dose. The disease was always less severe in chickens immunized with bovine glomeruli-CFA plus pertussis, as compared to bovine glomeruli-CFA immunized chickens. These studies demonstrate that the type of GBM antigen and immunization method play a significant role in the resultant histologic lesions in this model, and define conditions for optimal production of disease.